Ryde Council to hold referendum on whether public should vote for their mayor
The mayor of Ryde could soon be elected by residents instead of councillors, with a new referendum to be held this year.
Northern District Times
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THE mayor of one Sydney council could soon be elected by their residents instead of councillors in a new referendum.
Ryde residents had been calling for their mayor to be popularly elected for months prompting council to settle the matter over a constitutional referendum to be held in September.
The now approved referendum will be conducted by the NSW Electoral Commission.
It will ask voters whether they want their mayor to be popularly elected.
If the majority of residents vote ‘yes’ in the referendum, the City of Ryde Mayor would be elected by the public from the local government elections in 2024.
At present, Ryde’s mayor is elected by councillors every two years.
Mayor Jerome Laxale welcomed the referendum agreeing the position should be decided by “the people”.
“I trust the people of Ryde to choose their leader. Being Mayor is crucial for our city. It needs to be treated more than a prize handed out every two years,” Clr Laxale said.
“A number of Sydney councils, including Hunter’s Hill and Hornsby, are well-served by having a popularly-elected mayor and I think the time has come to ask the community for their views on the matter.
“Personally, I believe that the decision as to who should be Mayor of our great City should be made by the people and not by elected officials in some biennial ritual.
The constitutional referendum on whether Ryde’s mayor should be popularly-elected will take place during the local government elections on September 12.
A NSW Electoral Commission spokesman told the Northern District Times that Ryde Council notified the commission on the referendum request on January 6.
Another 34 councils could soon be conducting popularly-elected mayoral contests, according to the NSW Electoral Commission.
List of other councils who could conduct popular elected mayoral contests:
Ballina Shire Council
Bellingen Shire Council
The Council of the City of Broken Hill
Burwood Council
Byron Shire Council
City of Canada Bay Council
Cessnock City Council
Coffs Harbour City Council
Dungog Shire Council
Eurobodalla Shire Council
Fairfield City Council*
Griffith City Council
The Council of the Shire of Hornsby
The Council of the Municipality of Hunter's Hill
Kempsey Shire Council
Lake Macquarie City Council
Lismore City Council
Liverpool City Council
Maitland City Council
Mosman Municipal Council
Nambucca Valley Council
Newcastle City Council
Orange City Council
Port Macquarie-Hastings Council
Port Stephens Council
Richmond Valley Council
Shellharbour City Council
Shoalhaven City Council
Singleton Council
Council of the City of Sydney
The Hills Shire Council
Uralla Shire Council
Willoughby City Council
Wollondilly Shire Council
Wollongong City Council
Source: NSW Electoral Commission